Researching The History of Your Mustang

I had read in Mustang Monthly and on the Shelby American Automobile Club forums about how owners had obtained reports through their local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), so I took a chance and contacted the North Carolina DMV to see if there might be any history on my car. I completed the forms and sent them in along with a check for the fees. I was expecting nothing but about a month later I received the "mother lode," a package with 20 pages of history about the Shelby, including an unbroken chain of owners back to 1968 and copies of every title, power of attorney document, and DMV registration certificates. The car was sold new at Johnny Bolton Ford in Maitland, Florida, in late 1968 but was brought to North Carolina immediately afterwards. It spent its entire life in North Carolina until I purchased it in 2005.

With the information, I contacted many of the previous owners and received more history, including a copy of an article from a North Carolina newspaper from 1982 that provides insight to the pride of ownership and unique history of my car. I contacted other owners back to the late 1970s and talked for hours about the car.

I now have a complete history of my Shelby along with tons of original documents, original orders and invoices, and fascinating information from previous owners. In some ways, the research has been more rewarding than actually buying the car.

After 5-1/2 years of ownership and the chase to find the history on my Shelby, I have been very successful. If I can offer anything to other owners who are missing some or all of their Mustang’s history, it’s "keep at it." It may take months or even years to find the history on your car but it will be rewarding.